efficient cleaning tactics
29 posts • Page 1 of 3
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frmnutn2sumtn - Posts: 24
- Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:32 pm
efficient cleaning tactics
Guys...I don't like the way my first water change went lol I would like to know some peoples routines(please be descriptive) and little efficient tricks they've picked up over time. Keep in mind I would love to have space for a garbage can to have water ready for top off and changes but I don't. Thanks
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snowboss - Posts: 458
- Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:53 pm
FR - - I am maintaining a 20 gallon tank so your volumes will be a little larger than mine - - but this is a week in the life of the snowboss....lol
Sunday is my maint. day......I bought a 19 ltr square container at walmart with a lid for like 8 bucks, picked up a 2 to 5 gallon tank heater {walmart as well 8 bucks} and i have a powersweep powerhead that I am not useing in the display tank, oh yeah and a 3 dollar thermometer from walmart as well - - - I buy {now that i finally found it} RO water from wally world too......I then set the container up on a work bench in the basement marked 1-2-3 gallon marks on it and fill it to the 3 gallon mark, mix in the salt {right now i'm dosing with marine PH buffer also} so that goes into the mix as well....then let plug everything in and let her run for a few days {wed mix for sun is my usuall schedule} then on sunday I unplug the powerhead and skimmer and filter, syphon off 1 1/2 gallons into a {marked bucket} then do any cleaning in the tank i need to do, glass, blow the rock off,plug the filter back in for 10-15 minutes to clean up the majority of floating stuff i just created, unplug again, swish the mech bags in the syphoned water every other week and put back in the filter. dump the water syphon off another 1 1/2 gallons and replace with fresh mix water ......start everything back up and be on my marry way - - i usually test my water before i start cleaning and again on wedensday if i feel im haveing a problem.
Like i said if your doing larger than 3 gallon changes the process id the same just the mix container size changes...i like that square thing i got cause it has a lid and the cats can't get hair in it - -thery have them all the way up to 30-40 gallons....i don't like the idea of a trash can {i know a lot of people use em} but someone would inevitably throw something in it and not tell me and I'd wipe out my tank with a rouge candybar or something stupid like that.......the container looks like it serves a porpose and people stay away from it....lol - - sorry so long but you asked for detail....good luck man .....find what works for you and run with it.....Snowboss
PS - -put a bath towel on the floor in front of the tank.......your wife/girlfriend/significant other will thank you....lol
Sunday is my maint. day......I bought a 19 ltr square container at walmart with a lid for like 8 bucks, picked up a 2 to 5 gallon tank heater {walmart as well 8 bucks} and i have a powersweep powerhead that I am not useing in the display tank, oh yeah and a 3 dollar thermometer from walmart as well - - - I buy {now that i finally found it} RO water from wally world too......I then set the container up on a work bench in the basement marked 1-2-3 gallon marks on it and fill it to the 3 gallon mark, mix in the salt {right now i'm dosing with marine PH buffer also} so that goes into the mix as well....then let plug everything in and let her run for a few days {wed mix for sun is my usuall schedule} then on sunday I unplug the powerhead and skimmer and filter, syphon off 1 1/2 gallons into a {marked bucket} then do any cleaning in the tank i need to do, glass, blow the rock off,plug the filter back in for 10-15 minutes to clean up the majority of floating stuff i just created, unplug again, swish the mech bags in the syphoned water every other week and put back in the filter. dump the water syphon off another 1 1/2 gallons and replace with fresh mix water ......start everything back up and be on my marry way - - i usually test my water before i start cleaning and again on wedensday if i feel im haveing a problem.
Like i said if your doing larger than 3 gallon changes the process id the same just the mix container size changes...i like that square thing i got cause it has a lid and the cats can't get hair in it - -thery have them all the way up to 30-40 gallons....i don't like the idea of a trash can {i know a lot of people use em} but someone would inevitably throw something in it and not tell me and I'd wipe out my tank with a rouge candybar or something stupid like that.......the container looks like it serves a porpose and people stay away from it....lol - - sorry so long but you asked for detail....good luck man .....find what works for you and run with it.....Snowboss
PS - -put a bath towel on the floor in front of the tank.......your wife/girlfriend/significant other will thank you....lol
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ChristinaBug2890 - Posts: 299
- Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:15 pm
A bath towel or if you're like me...many many towels...Not that it was me who ruined my parent's hard-wood floor that way but you know. ;)
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Peterkarig3210 - Posts: 1980
- Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am
Hey! I just let the carpet soak up the water. When I test my water I throw the excess out of the test tube anywhere on the old rug. I keep my African and Persian rugs clean and dry though. If the power goes off I'm gona have most of a hundred gallons of water on the floor because my magnum canister filter doesn't seal very well, so I guess I should do something about that. it would mess up the Apt downstairs! Sorry! I know you were talking about the best way to clean a salt set up. I'm envious!
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Snowboss4492 - Posts: 2098
- Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 pm
well the good thing about salt Pete is when i dries you can see the white slt where it was.....lol so it's easy to clean up
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saltwaterpimp - Posts: 1307
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:22 am
i hope my hardwood floor is not messed up under the tank....that would suck.. i mixed my saltwater in a colmen cooler it worked out good when its ready for the tank throw a pump in there and pump it in your tank..that way there was no lifting of buckets.also i would syphon water out the window.
